Founding- Chapter One-Two

Chapter One

The winds that carry the whispered words move swiftly North across the Plains of Farehart and into the trees of the Forests of the Elves. Winter has come upon the world again and the air is chilled. Soon the snows will fall and the forest will be silent. The few leaves left on the trees flutter and dance as the wind filters through the towering branches. One such leaf flutters down onto the golden head of an elleth who creeps through the trees with a silence gifted to only the most skilled of her race. A little ways ahead of her is a flickering orange light blocked slightly by the slim figure of a woman sitting on a rock.

“Nagola I know you’re there my friend.” The woman said softly, knowing perfectly well that the elleth to whom she spoke could hear her just fine.

Nagola’s mouth fell open in surprise and she almost dropped the load of firewood she carried when her friend spoke. She thought that she had been absolutely silent as she snuck up on the woman. Coming up next her she said, “By the Stars Aldawen, how in the world did you hear me?”

Aldawen looked up at her friend and giggled at the dumbstruck look on the elf maiden’s face. “Oh Gola, you know you can’t sneak up on me anymore. Elvin-born silence or not I know when you are near.”

“Well at least I don’t make as much noise as you in the woods, Halfling.”

The old nickname brought a smile to the younger woman’s face. She remembered getting it when her friend had been old enough to realize that she was only half elvish.

Aldawen Taurel, being the first daughter and second child of Alkaryon and Eahrwen, King and Queen of Carvengem, the High Powers Fallen Kingdom, was indeed half elvish and half Carvengemean, her mother being widely known as the most beautiful elleth of the Age. At 24, Aldawen was renowned for excellent swordplay and deadly accuracy with a bow, as well as possessing a beauty in the likeness of her mother.

Her companion was Nagola Elentari, the only child of Mandiar Lahalden, King of Erylaolden, the kingdom of the elves. Her mother had fled this world for the next when Nagola was a small child. The tall blonde elleth often heard that she was the feminine version of her father in her legendary skill with her bow and knives, but like Aldawen, she was beautiful like her mother.

Physically the pair couldn’t have been more different. Aldawen had startlingly blue eyes flecked with silver and dark brown hair that hung near two inches past her shoulders. She was clad in dark pants and her boots were also dark but they had mud stains on them. Her silver blue tunic was hard to see because of the well-worn leather overcoat that was draped over her shoulders and pulled tight around her body to stave off the chill.

Nagola on the other hand, had long flowing blonde hair and brilliantly green eyes. Three finger width braids on the right side of her head and two on the left just above her pointed ears were pulled back with a beautifully crafted silver pin and fed into one thick braid that went down to her mid-back. She was clad in brown leggings and a dark forest green winter tunic and a pale green under shirt.

The pair had been friends since birth, and although Aldawen was the youngest of the pair, she often took charge. Nagola was the calmer of the two and she was often the one who thought what might be at the bottom of the pond before diving in head first, while Aldawen was quick thinking and impetuous with a quicksilver temper. They had done something no woman before them had and they were top notch warriors in the Carvengem Army, both were very promising fighters. To most their friendship seemed an unlikely bond, but they worked it out. Some also said that it was odd that an elleth and a woman would be such good friends; but to them it didn’t matter, just like their fathers before them they shared a bond stronger then most. They were always together, always traveling, and always getting into trouble.

A month ago they had left the elven city, Javenvell on yet another journey, but this one promised to be short, and uneventful. They were just heading north to Nagola’s home, Erylaolden to stay with her father for the winter and to celebrate both their coming of ages in a month.   

~*~*~*~*~

Nagola walked over to the fire and set the wood down next to it. She knelt down and was stacking it in a pile when she heard well muffled coughing behind her. Nagola pivoted on the balls of her feet and looked at her friend.

Aldawen had covered her mouth and was coughing into her sleeve, effectively muffling the sound. Nagola smiled and shook her head. Reaching behind her into her quiver, she fished around and pulled out a small leather bound flask and rose, offering it to her friend.

“Awww, Gola, you know I hate this stuff. I don’t want to drink it.” Aldawen whined, taking the flask and pulling a face after smelling the contents.

“Well I mixed it up this morning just for you. And you know that it’s the only thing that will get rid of your coughing for a little while.” Nagola replied firmly, rolling her eyes. Honestly, she sometimes wondered if Aldawen was still four years old from the way she whined about taking her medicine.

“Yes, yes, I know, I know. But that doesn’t meant I want to drink it.” Aldawen muttered under her breath.

Nagola heard the muttered comment and smiled slightly, “Aldawen, come on now my friend, you don’t want me to force you to drink it do you? Please, all you need is a mouthful. You’ve braved tasks much more horrifying than this, come on drink it.”

Aldawen muttered something undistinguishable under her breath, which sounded remarkably like an ancient elvish curse, and uncorked the flask once more. She brought it to her lips and, glaring at her friend, took a couple of small sips. Pulling a face she swallowed and let out a low rasping breath, shaking her head.

Laughing Nagola sat down next to Aldawen, “Oh come on Aldie it can’t be that bad.”

Glaring at the elf out of the corner of her eye, Aldawen corked the flask and handed to her friend, “Yes it can.” She said simply, pouting.

“How old are you Aldawen, four or twenty-four? And where did you learn that elvish? I didn’t know you studied in Ancient Language that much.” Nagola asked, giggling.

“Oh shut up why don’t you? Prat. And for your information I didn’t learn that in Ancient Language, I never learned anything from that stupid class.” Aldawen replied, giving her friend a playful shove.

“Really?” Nagola asked sarcastically, faking complete surprise between laughs.

“Really.” Aldawen answered matter-of-factly, “In fact I learned it from my father, if you want to know. It was rather funny actually; I never knew words like that were in his vocabulary”

This only caused Nagola to laugh harder, although she tried to hide it. The muffled giggling was too much for Aldawen. She grinned reluctantly and then dissolved into laughter like her friend.

~*~*~*~*~

High up the towering oak trees that concealed the two female’s small camp a man shifted silently in the tree above the giggling girls. Tarin rolled his eyes. ‘Women’ he thought ‘foolish creatures they are. Well they are set in place for the trap at least; seeing as they managed to screw everything else up.’

Carefully looking behind him the Hunter swept his shoulder length sandy-blonde hair out of his black eyes and moved soundlessly down to the base of the tree. Right before he got to the bottom Tarin spotted someone standing in the shadows holding a bow. The figure was clothed in a familiar looking hooded cloak, which was pulled low over his face.
         
After getting over the shock to see someone standing next to his hiding spot, Tarin grinned and moved over so he was behind his intruder and swung down to the ground. Moving with lightning fast speed Tarin pulled a knife concealed at his side and wrapped his free hand around the other man’s neck covering his mouth and pressed the blade against his back.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing, Tagolen?” Tarin whispered into the man’s ear, causing him to immediately relax. Grinning, Tarin released his little brother and sheathed his knife. Then he turned and disappeared into the trees, walking away from the girls he had just been watching.

~*~*~*~*~

Abruptly, Aldawen and Nagola stopped laughing. “Did you hear that?” Aldawen whispered, slipping off of the rock she had been sitting on and crouching down of the balls of her feet behind it looking at her friend, who nodded. They both had heard a startled cry followed by the thump of something heavy hitting the ground, and then silence. They both drew their bows and notched an arrow.

Listing hard both girls’ powerful elvish hearing was put to use as well as their keen elvish sight. Suddenly a grim look stole across Nagola’s face and she turned to her friend, tapping the younger woman’s ear, silently asking if she had heard.

Slowly, Aldawen nodded.  Sounds of heavy breathing, shifting feet, grunting, and metal clanking had reached her ears as well. Both girls voiced their thoughts at the same time in whispered tones.

“Krags.”

With a soft laugh, Nagola shook her head and stood and re-sheathing her arrow. “Remember now Aldawen, the only condition of our traveling alone was to be sure the trip was uneventful, don’t go looking for trouble, and arrive without need of medical attention.” She said mimicking the tone Alkaryon had used when telling them these conditions.

“Yes, and then you told Father that that was three conditions not one and he threw his book at you.” Aldawen said, sheathing her arrow and drawing her sword.

The friends looked at each other sharply when they heard a horse cry of attack, followed by the sound of a krag horn from the south.

“Well it was three conditions,” Nagola defended herself, kicking out the fire and gathering her pack, “and either way we never listen to those foolish rules anyways do we? Anyways if we’re careful we only will be breaking the first condition of having an uneventful trip.” She said as she started to move off in the direction of the sounds of fighting.

Aldawen laughed at her friend’s logic as she shrugged into her pack as well and ran after the elf, adrenaline surging through her at the thought of a fight.

Chapter Two

‘Nagola, head for the trees and use your bow!’ Aldawen thought silently to her friend, using her recently discovered talent to speak in someone else’s mind, as they ran.

Nagola nodded shouldering her bow, and swinging into the closest tree. Jumping deftly from limb to limb, the elf pulled her bow and strung an arrow once more.

‘They’re just ahead, be on your guard we’re coming around behind them’ 

Aldawen nodded when her friend’s voice entered her mind and slowed, ‘How far?’

‘Not more than twenty yards. Careful Aldie, there has got to be at least 100 of them.’

‘Calm down I’ll be careful, you know me’

‘Yes I do, that’s why I said it’

‘Very funny Nagola.’ Aldawen crept stealthily forward, throwing her senses outward, and tightening her grip on her sword. Glancing upward she saw that Nagola had moved into a tree on the edge of the clearing where the sounds were coming from. The Krags were brutish and barbaric warriors. No one knew where they had come from and indeed the ancient elvish word for monster gave them their name. The beasts were raised as fighters and constantly terrorized and pillaged the land.

‘Go Nagola, I’m right behind you’ she thought, and saw her friend nod and draw her arrow back. Aldawen stood, raised her sword into an attack position, and charged upon the waiting krags.

Nagola’s skill with a bow was not just an unbelievable rumor. Faster than the eye could follow her arrows flew with deadly accuracy and krags started to fall. The elleth deftly shot down the krags that her human friend’s silver blur of a sword did not reach.

Aldawen spun and sliced her sword through another krag. Dodging a blow aimed for her head, she dropped down to a crouching position and thrust her sword up into the gut of her attacker. She felt something behind her and turned in time to see a huge krag with its sword raised, and an arrow through its face. She rolled to her left to avoid being crushed by the dead beast, and paused when a pair of doeskin booted feet landed lightly next to her.

“Couldn’t let me have all the fun?” Aldawen asked standing and relieving a krag of its head weight.

“No, I couldn’t let you get killed Halfling.” Nagola answered, drawing her knives with a flourish and stepping back, dodging a blow from a krag blade.

The elf slashed the knife in her left hand across the beast’s arm and the other blade went down, cutting easily through the thick leathers that guarded the krag’s chest. She spun away from it as it fell and caught another blow between her two crossed blades. Twisting one up and the other sliding down to rest near the guard of the krags sword, Nagola thrust her top knife away from her and effectively disarmed the beast. It roared and grabbed her tunic, punching her across the face. Suddenly the foul beast roared again, this time with pain, and fell limply to its knees, a small dagger sticking out of the side of its neck. Nagola whipped her knife across and beheaded the krag, then pulled the dagger out and tossed it back to its owner nodding her thanks.

Aldawen caught her blade and slashed back and forth with it, slicing two deep marks across her attackers face. She forced her sword into the center of the howling krag’s chest and shoved the dead carcass away from her and looked around breathing hard. With a stab of fear she noted that her elvin friend was kneeling on the ground. Aldawen ran over to where her friend was and knelt down next to her.

“Nagola what happened?!?” she asked, seeing that her friend had blood dripping down the side of her face.

“Nothing, I’m fine, it was just a scratch.” The elleth answered, wiping the small trickle away. “That last krag didn’t quite seem to grasp the point that I was trying to get across.” She remarked dryly, gesturing to the dead krag next to her.

“And what point would that be my friend?” The human asked with a smile, pulling the elleth to her feet.

“That it needed to die.” Nagola answered nonchalantly, uncorking the water skin that hung at her side and taking a casual sip.
 
Aldawen laughed, “I wonder why?” she said dryly, turning and looked around at the dead krags, “Do you want to get your arrows?” she asked turning back to look at the elleth next to her.

“Yes I do, help me with-” Nagola began but she cut off abruptly when the sound of walking feet touched her sensitive ears. Both girls tensed and Nagola crouched down to retrieve her knives. Aldawen kept a tight grip on her sword as she inched slowly over closer to her friend.

‘Those are no krags Gola, The woman thought to her friend.

‘Two humans’ Nagola replied in kind.

Just then two men walked into the clearing and stopped, staring at the two women in their midst. One had shoulder length sandy blonde hair and dark, nearly black, eyes and other had a bit lighter hair and startlingly green eyes. The surprised pair looked alike, and both of them were holding swords stained with blood.